Shock at the top of the Betclic Elite Between Boulogne-Levallois and Cholet, respectively 2nd and 3rd in the standings. The opportunity for Victor Wembanyama to shine in front of French footballer Randal Kolo Muani, recent vice-world champion, and to test himself against a big chunk. And this test initially proved inconclusive, before taking a crazy turn in the last minutes.
Properly muzzled by Laurent Vila’s men for three and a half quarters (11 points, 4/15 on shots), “Wemby” finally finished this game with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks on the clock. All at a low 8/21 on shots, but 4/8 at 3-pts (career best) and 4/4 on free throws. In the wake of their interior, opposed to the former NBAer Justin Patton (18 points, 5 rebounds), the Mets 92 won miraculously, or almost, against the collectively attractive Choletais (92-87).
“Miraculously”, because Boulogne-Levallois counted up to… 21 points behind (59-80) in the fourth quarter and this, more precisely, eight minutes from the end! Then the light went completely out for Cholet, unable to offer play in the last moments and as petrified as he was helpless in the face of the renewed success of Vincent Collet’s players, furious in an atmosphere of fire.
Of course, this half hour during which Tremont Waters (22 points, 7 assists, 4 steals) and Hugo Besson (14 points) held the barrack on the Ile-de-France side should not be neglected because, like two weeks ago in Roanne or last week in Paris, Victor Wembanyama struggled. Struggling to adjust his shot, access his preferred positions, approach the circle or play simple, not to mention frustration with the referees and / or the opposing defense…
But, like any self-respecting great player, “Wemby” turned the game around (almost) single-handedly in the last act, thanks to his decisive 3-point baskets and his equally “clutch” defensive deterrence. Enough to grab the victory and come back up to Monaco (11-3) at the top of the standings, just before the holidays.
